This year’s not-so-short month of February brought us lots of talented YouTube Partners as part of our monthly "On The Rise" program, and in the end, marydoodles, is the partner featured on today's YouTube homepage.

Mary Gutfleisch came to Los Angeles by way of Minnesota and Chicago, and now spends her days making props and costumes for Epic Rap Battles of History. But her true passion is making pictures - her work spans techniques such as watercolor painting, pen and ink, and chalk drawings. And the subjects of Mary’s work are just as varied: she’s covered dragons, teddy bears, zombie-style self portraits, and she’s even captured the elusive narwhal.

Here are a few words from Mary:

First off, I’d love to give a big shout out to every single teacher who caught me drawing in their class but never made me stop. It was very rude of me. I apologize. I’ve always loved creating art and I LOVE movies and making videos! So to be able to combine the two...it feels like the best Christmas ever and it’s not even Christmas. And the most amazing thing is that this is all supported by many many many individuals (like yourself) who watch. So thank YOU! And thanks to the folks at YouTube for recognizing my channel and to all my friends over at Epic Rap Battles of History for letting me ride your coattails (I will dry clean your coat). It’s awesome to be able to connect with other artists and fans alike and I hope to inspire you as much as you’ve inspired me. Art is more accessible now than ever before and I feel lucky to be able to sharedji/kjmOMG! I JUST SPILLED HOT TEA ALL OVER MY ARM!!!

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise Channel. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!